Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 25003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
After two rounds of wine and fucking while making a promise to breed and marry her, I cling to my future as sleep takes me, never expecting tomorrow to change everything.
Chapter Three
Celeste
The sun comes up, and I’m creeping out of Lennox’s bed because I have to be at a meeting with the lawyer soon and definitely need to shower and wash the cottony, dry taste out of my mouth. “Oh my goodness,” I whisper painfully as I tiptoe out of the bedroom with my heels in hand. The unbelievable ache between my legs matched the ecstasy I felt last night.
His living area of the suite was massive and a bit messy. I attempt to leave him a note because I don’t want to wake him or create some awkwardness. Hey Lennox, you took my virginity, so you have to keep your word about happily ever kind of thing.
So I looked for a piece of paper, which wasn’t hard since this place was strewn with documents, but there was just one problem. They all look important. It’s then that I see the header. Nox Sawyer Investments. There is a memo printed out to my boss about a meeting on Monday. “He’s the owner,” I gasp.
The man who just fucking fired me. I close my eyes and forget the note. Not needed. He just stole one more thing from me. Granted, perhaps unknowingly, or at least, I’d like to believe so. Still, I can’t stay here. Fleeing with the last bit of dignity I have, I rush from his hotel room and I leave Mr. Steal your life.
With my hair blowing in the crisp early September air, I rush back to my apartment to face another devil, even if it’s from the grave. The second I enter my small New York City apartment, I close the door and slide to the floor, letting the tears fall. The punches kept coming; one by one, they hit me like a ton of bricks.
I can still smell Lennox on me, so I push myself off the floor, run into the bathroom, and turn on the shower. My alarm goes off, reminding me to get ready, which is good because I would still have been inside his hotel room. Unfortunately, that brings on another bout of tears.
The spray washes away his scent and slowly eases the ache of my sore muscles, but the memory of the night might take a long time to fade from my mind.
An hour later, I’m in Mr. Kohn’s office while he reads off my grandfather’s will. I’d wished he just sent it in an email or a certified envelope as impersonal as his death was to me. The fact that I had to bother to come here was more than he deserved after all these years. “So, can we get this over with? My grandfather didn’t want me in his life.”
“Ms. Hoffman, your grandfather was a complicated man, but you mustn’t let his behavior ruin your good personality. He said you were an incredible young lady.”
“Sorry for being miserable. Please explain my inheritance.”
“You are to inherit the home in Holly Hills. Along with the remainder of his assets in the sum of five hundred twenty-two thousand dollars.” My mouth falls open, and I can barely breathe.
“What? That can’t be real.”
“It is. Your grandfather was the epitome of Scrooge. He didn’t like spending his money, and he was a miser, but he had his reasons.”
I can’t believe the amount of money he left me and why. “He could have just given this to some charity or something.”
“Ms. Hoffman, he might not have loved company, but the man did love you. Your grandfather had many difficulties that he couldn’t discuss. During his time in the service, he received a brain injury, forcing him to suffer from a perpetual ear ringing that drove him insane. He managed to control it with some meds, but it made him a different person. For him, it was better than the pain in his head. You deserved better watching him die. He didn’t want you to see a man dying only with pity and resentment in your heart. He knew what he did.”
I sit back in my chair, confused and saddened. A man living alone because his life was stolen from him. I guess our family wasn’t meant to have a good life. Although he left me with the means to do so. My adoptive parents did the same here in Holly Hills as well. I have a small home there that I go to when I want to get out of the city. They moved to Florida about two years ago and left me everything.
“Thank you for explaining. I wish he’d done that a long time ago, so I wouldn’t have been hanging onto this resentment. My heart has been living with this feeling of loss and abandonment.” Even with his explanation, it doesn’t completely erase the pain, but it gives me answers.